Winter Storm Nemo is expected to dump up to 2 feet of snow Friday and Saturday from the New York City metro area to Maine, according to the National Weather Service. FILE PHOTO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Thousands of air travelers scrambled to change their plans Thursday after airlines canceled flights to the Northeast, New England and parts of Canada in advance of Winter Storm Nemo.

The storm was expected to dump up to 2 feet of snow Friday and Saturday from the New York City metro area to Maine, according to the National Weather Service. Snow is expected to be accompanied by high winds with gusts up to 75 mph.

Airlines began canceling Friday flights as storm forecasts worsened on Thursday. By mid-afternoon Thursday, more than 1,600 U.S. flights had been canceled compared with 129 on Wednesday, according to the online flight-tracking service FlightAware.com.

Newark Liberty International Airport led in cancellations with more than 500 inbound and outbound flights taken off the schedule. LaGuardia Airport in New York was second with more than 280 canceled flights. United Airlines had the biggest schedule disruptions after it canceled nearly 400 flights, according to FlightAware.com

The major airlines waived their usual charge for reservation changes for Friday and Saturday flights to specified airports in the storm's path and urged travelers to postpone or reroute their trips.

George Hobica at AirfareWatchdog.com said that with flights nearly fully-booked these days, it could take three to four days for the airlines to get back on schedule, especially to destinations with limited flights.

"Luckily, there are lots of flights from Southern California to the NYC/Newark region, so it's much better than if you were flying from Des Moines to Waco," he said. "Boston has fewer flights, but still a lot."

He noted that if travelers haven't started their outward journeys yet, they can get a full refund if their flights are canceled. They don't have to rebook at a later date unless they still want to make the trip.

"If you missed the funeral, there may be no reason to go," Hobica said.

For those who need to rebook, Hobica said the fastest way to get through may be to leave a message for a callback on the airline's reservation line.

"I got a callback within 30 minutes from United," said Hobica, who had to rebook last fall because of Superstorm Sandy.

Travelers who booked through Expedia or Travelocity might get help faster using those services. Hobica said he's also found airline Twitter accounts useful for requesting changes.

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